NEWARK, N.J. – Another pair of rats has fallen in the sprawling New Jersey ATM skimming operation that bled banks and customers out of at least $428,581. Florin Mares, 49, and his brother, Gabriel Mares, 44, both hailing from College Point, New York, admitted their guilt in Newark federal court today, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced. The brothers join a growing list of convicts in this sophisticated scheme that targeted ATMs across the Garden State.
The Mares brothers each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and, crucially, one count of aggravated identity theft. Court documents and statements reveal a calculated effort to illegally siphon account information – account numbers and PINs – from unsuspecting bank customers using rigged ATMs. They then used this stolen data to make unauthorized cash withdrawals between March 2015 and July 2016. This wasn’t a smash-and-grab; it was a slow bleed, a systematic pilfering of hard-earned money.
The skimming devices weren’t just slapped on haphazardly. The crew strategically placed secret card-reading devices *and* pinhole cameras on PNC and Bank of America ATMs, capturing both card details and PINs. This allowed them to create counterfeit ATM cards, effectively turning stolen information into cold, hard cash. The operation wasn’t limited to one location; it was a multi-site hit, demonstrating a degree of planning and coordination that suggests a larger, more organized criminal network.
With these guilty pleas, a total of eleven out of the thirteen defendants initially charged in this case have now been convicted. Others already pleading guilty include Joel Abel Garcia, Victor A. Hanganu, Radu Bogdan Marin, Marcel Peckham, Catalin Mihai Dragomir, Eduard Vasilica Ticu, Silvester Florentin Papp, Stefan Dumitru, and Florian Calin Crainic. The investigation, a joint effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Newark Division and the U.S. Secret Service’s Boston Field Office, spread far beyond New Jersey.
Local law enforcement in Longmeadow, Cambridge, and Medford, Massachusetts, also played a crucial role, alongside assistance from Bank of America and PNC Bank security teams. The Middlesex County, Massachusetts, District Attorney’s Office, along with U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of New York and the District of Massachusetts, Springfield Division, all contributed to bringing down this operation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Graves and Trial Attorney Marianne Shelvey are prosecuting the case.
Florin Mares is represented by David Glazer Esq. of Livingston, New Jersey, while Gabriel Mares is being defended by Laurie Fierro Esq. of Kinnelon, New Jersey. Both brothers face a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for November 20, 2017, leaving a little over three months for these two to contemplate the consequences of their greed. Expect more heads to roll in this case; the investigation is likely far from over.
Related Federal Cases
- Bogdan Rusu, ATM Skimming, New Jersey 2023 · Massachusetts
- Twelve Individuals Charged with ATM Skimming Conspiracy, New Jersey 2016 · Massachusetts
- Joel Abel Garcia, ATM Skimming Conspiracy, New Jersey 2017 · Massachusetts
- Stefan Dumitru, ATM Skimming, New Jersey 2016 · Massachusetts
- Bogdan Viorel Rusu, ATM Skimming, NJ 2023 · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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